Latest news with #AnnabelWilkinson
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Morton-on-Swale listed bridge repair work to last four weeks
Repair work on a listed bridge which has been repeatedly damaged by vehicles is to begin on Yorkshire Council said repairs to the bridge in Morton-on-Swale, due to last four weeks, were designed to cause as little disruption to road users as bridge, on the A684 between Bedale and Northallerton, has been struck by vehicles a number of times in recent years, including twice in the last two Grade II listed structure also needed repairs in 2019 after damage caused by a crash. North Yorkshire Council's highways officials said detailed surveys had been carried out to design a repair scheme as well as work to recover stone has been sourced and a contractor appointed to carry out the the first and last two days, temporary traffic lights will be in place to allow scaffolding to be installed and removed, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.A temporary speed limit of 20mph will be introduced while work is ongoing. North Yorkshire Council's executive member for highways and transport, Malcolm Taylor, said: "Residents and road users have been waiting for us to announce details of a repair scheme and we are pleased to have designed one without the need to close the road."This is because most of the works will be carried out on the land side."The concrete barriers already in place on the bridge will be used to ensure a safe working area."His colleague Annabel Wilkinson, who represents the area on North Yorkshire Council, said the repairs had been timed to take place during the school holidays when there was less traffic."We have also timed it to avoid utility works in the village," she said."The temporary lights will be manned when they are in place to manage traffic flow and reduce disruption."We thank all road users for their patience and ask that they please adhere to the 20mph limit in place." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
10-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Schools cash boost is 'not enough', North Yorkshire Council warns
More than £7m of government cash for improvements to schools in North Yorkshire is not enough to cover a backlog of repairs, a council has Department for Education (DfE) has awarded North Yorkshire Council £7.03m from its School Condition Allocation grant for maintenance and building councillor Annabel Wilkinson said while she welcomed the "crucial support", the funding was "nowhere near enough for what we actually require". A council spokesperson said more than £80m was needed. The DfE has been contacted for comment. Wilkinson, the council's executive member for education, learning and skills, said the money would be used to "enhance the school buildings' energy efficiency, reducing their carbon footprint and energy bills".She said the council was "committed to ensuring schools were upgraded to provide modern, safe, warm and well-equipped facilities".The funding - which is an increase from last year's allocation of £5.8m - would also go towards roofing, heating and window replacements across nurseries, family centres and primary and secondary schools, the council Fielding, assistant director for inclusion, said the authority would "continue to lobby the government for more money towards school maintenance and improvements".She said: "By improving the fabric of our school buildings and installing energy efficiency measures, we are also keeping classrooms warm and over time it should reduce energy bills for our schools too."A council spokesperson said schools in the county were already facing a maintenance backlog of more than £20m, with a further £62.3m estimated to be needed to address the condition of classrooms within five of North Yorkshire Council's executive are due to meet on 17 June to discuss the funding. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
21-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Lack of pupils forces permanent closure of Harrogate nursery
A North Yorkshire primary school is set to permanently close its maintained nursery due to a lack of demand for governing board of Kettlesing Felliscliffe Community Primary School in Harrogate will remove nursery provision from 31 August, following a consultation with parents and decision will see year groups running from reception to Year 6 for pupils aged four to 11 instead of the current nursery to Year 6 for children aged between three and 11 from Yorkshire Council's executive member for education, learning and skills, Annabel Wilkinson, said pupil numbers had "steadily declined" in recent years with no nursery-aged children currently enrolled. She added: "This is not a sudden decision or something we take lightly."According to figures, 17 children were attending the nursery in October 2020, which reduced to nine in October decision to temporarily suspend nursery provision had previously been made by the school federation's interim executive board following a consultation and took effect from September to a recent consultation supported the permanent closure of the nursery and no issues or concerns were raised by local families, the council said."Based on the feedback received, it seems the sensible thing to do is to permanently change the age range at the school," Ms Wilkinson said."Despite the closure of this nursery, families still have access to good early years places within their community for their children which includes flexibility of accessing the provision during the school holidays."The school's executive headteacher, Victoria Kirkman said it was "business as usual" for pupils from reception to Year 6. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Kirkby Fleetham school closure councillor accused of 'hypocrisy'
A councillor has been accused of hypocrisy and urged to consider her position over a complaint she made to the government about the closure of a school in her Yorkshire Council's Annabel Wilkinson wrote to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson claiming the process to close Kirkby Fleetham Church of England Primary School, near Northallerton, had been "undemocratic".An opposition councillor said Wilkinson, as executive member for education, had overseen the closure of several schools and contrasted that with her concern over the closure of one in her own council has been approached for comment. She had spoken out after the government made a substantive decision to close the school just two weeks after parents had been told of the an academy, the school comes under the direct control of the Department for Education rather than the local councillor, who represents the Morton-on-Swale and Appleton Wiske division, said "scant regard" had been paid to the views of the community over the the letter to the minister, the Conservative member said her authority had closed schools previously, but this had always been "after a lengthy and very thorough public consultation process". 'Implicit threat' According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Liberal Democrat councillor Andrew Murday said Wilkinson had overseen the closure of at least three local authority schools as executive member for education."For those of us who have experience of attempting to overcome school closures by North Yorkshire Council, what comes as a shock is the hypocrisy demonstrated by Councillor Wilkinson when it comes to a school in her own electoral division."When [she] and her officers threaten to close a school they carry out a superficial consultation but take no notice of the views of the parents or the community."Murday, who represents the Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale division, claimed school closures in North Yorkshire followed a common pattern."It starts with reports that pupil numbers are falling and the implicit threat to the school's existence," he said."Anxious parents protest to the council officers and members, but the threat of closure leads to an exodus of the remaining pupils and the closure becomes a fait accompli."Wilkinson is also responsible for changes to the home-to-school transport policy, which now only provides free transport to a child's nearest school, rather than their catchment said that policy was likely to cause chaos as the advice to prospective parents as they made their choice of secondary school was added: "As well as incompetence, Councillor Wilkinson now faces the accusation of hypocrisy."She should now carefully consider her position as the responsible executive member." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
21-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Rural school and sixth form to close permanently
A primary school and a sixth form which have both seen student numbers fall recently are to close and Hornby Church of England Primary School, near Catterick Garrison, had suffered financially with "only a handful" of pupils attending, a North Yorkshire Council meeting heard on entries to the sixth form at The Wensleydale School in Leyburn were temporarily suspended for two years in September 2023 after numbers dropped to just eight council said Hackforth and Hornby Primary School would officially close on 31 August, with sixth form provision at The Wensleydale School ending on the same day. Consultations on the proposed closures ran for six weeks at the end of 2024, followed by a public meeting in council's executive considered the consultation feedback in January 2025 and allowed further representations to be made until 28 a meeting of North Yorkshire Council's children and young people's service, Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education, learning and skills, said: "Closing a school is never an easy decision to make. "However, pupil numbers at Hackforth and Hornby Church of England Primary School have continued to drop since 2017. "The school has a capacity to accommodate 42 children, but currently there are only a handful of primary age children attending."She added: "The decision had been made with a heavy heart, we have no choice but to close the school."Meanwhile, a decision was also made to end sixth form provision at Wensleydale School, in Leyburn, where there have been no post-16 students in Years 12 and 13 for the past two years. A council spokesperson said the school would continue to remain open to pupils aged 11 to 16. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
